ServicesDuctless Mini-Splits
Ductless Mini-Splits in Airway Heights
We install and repair ductless mini-splits for additions, garages, bonus rooms and older homes without ducts. Each system is sized to the room, set up for cold winters and built so the filters, coil and drain line stay easy to service for years.
Heating and Cooling Without Ducts
A ductless mini-split is a small heat pump. An outdoor condenser connects to one or more indoor air handlers through a copper line set, a control wire and a condensate drain, all passed through a single hole about three inches wide. Every indoor head runs on its own setpoint, so a guest room can sit idle while the living room stays comfortable.
It is the right call when a room is always too hot or too cold, when you are finishing a space that the furnace never reached, or when your home has baseboard or wall heaters you want to retire. Inverter compressors ramp up and down instead of cycling on and off, which uses less power and puts less wear on the parts.
How long a mini-split lasts depends mostly on care. Clean filters, a clear drain and a coil free of dust and pet hair keep the compressor from working harder than it should. We set every system up with that in mind.
What Comes With a Mini-Split Job
Room-by-room sizing
We measure every room and account for windows, insulation and sun before picking a capacity. An oversized head reaches temperature quickly, stops and never runs long enough to dry the air. An undersized one runs all winter and still cannot keep up.
Equipment built for cold
Winters around Spokane often reach single digits, so we suggest models rated to heat far below freezing. We put their cold-weather output in writing so January holds no surprises.
Refrigerant lines and power
We install insulated copper lines, flare or braze each joint, pressure test with nitrogen and pull a deep vacuum before letting the refrigerant in. Every install gets its own circuit and an outdoor disconnect.
Placing the outdoor unit
We mount the condenser on a raised pad or wall bracket clear of the snow, with space for defrost water to run off rather than freeze beneath the coil.
Troubleshooting and repair
We diagnose mini-splits from most makers: error codes, dead fan motors, leaks at flare joints, blocked drains and bad control boards. The diagnostic fee counts toward the repair.
When a Mini-Split Fits or Needs a Service Call
- A room that is always off
- A sunroom or a bedroom above the garage that runs 10 degrees off the thermostat is a textbook spot for one single-zone head.
- Baseboards in winter, window units in summer
- Paying for resistance heat all winter and a window AC all summer? A single heat pump can take over both jobs and use less power doing it.
- Drips from the indoor head
- Most often a blocked condensate line or a dirty coil that freezes and thaws. If it goes on, it marks the wall and can shut the unit off.
- Flashing lights or a code
- Mini-splits usually show a code when a sensor, fan or pressure is out of range. That code tells us where to begin.
- Little heat on cold mornings
- Weak winter output can mean low refrigerant, ice that defrost is not clearing, or a unit that was too small for the room from the start.
What Happens on Install Day
- 1
A visit and a quote on paper
We check the rooms, the wall for each head and the route to the outdoor unit. Estimates on installations and replacements are free, and the written quote comes before any work.
- 2
Wall plate and the opening
We fasten the mounting plate, bore a single hole angled down so water runs outside, and seal it. Drop cloths go down before we start, and we vacuum along the way.
- 3
Refrigerant, wiring and checks
We hook up the line set, pressure test it, pull a deep vacuum and make sure it holds before the valves open. Next we wire the circuit and measure supply air temperature in heat and cool modes.
- 4
How to care for it
We show you how to take out and rinse the filters, how the remote works and what to keep away from the outdoor unit. A single-zone install is usually done in a day.
What Drives the Price
The price of a mini-split mostly depends on how many rooms you want covered and how hard they are to get to. Every item has its own line on the written quote, so you see where each dollar goes. Where your equipment qualifies, we also help claiming Avista rebates and federal tax credits on heat pumps.
- How many zones
- One head paired with one condenser is the easiest setup. Each added zone brings another indoor unit, more line length and a bigger outdoor unit.
- Line set route and length
- A short run straight out an outside wall costs less than one through an attic, crawlspace or finished wall that needs line covers.
- Room in the electrical panel
- With open slots and capacity in the panel, adding the circuit is simple. A full or aging panel may need work beforehand.
- Efficiency and cold rating
- Higher-efficiency cold-climate units cost more to buy but keep more of their heat output in hard cold.
Questions People Ask About Mini-Splits
- Can a mini-split heat a room through a deep freeze?
- Cold-climate models keep putting out heat far below freezing, though less as it gets colder. We size for the coldest days you are likely to see and tell you honestly if a room will still need a backup. Lots of homeowners hold onto a furnace or baseboards for the handful of worst nights.
- How often do the filters need cleaning?
- Look at the washable filters every month or two and rinse them once they turn gray. A clogged filter reduces airflow, ices the coil and makes the compressor strain. Having a pro clean the coil and blower wheel once a year stops dust and mold from collecting in the head.
- Will you fix a mini-split someone else put in?
- We will. We work on most brands, the diagnostic fee goes toward the repair, and every repair carries our 1-year labor warranty on all repairs.
- Are you licensed and insured for mini-split installs?
- We hold a Washington license and bond and carry $1M general liability insurance. Installing a mini-split means adding an electrical circuit, handling refrigerant and cutting through an outside wall, which is why that coverage counts here.
- Could mini-splits heat my entire house?
- In some homes. Two or three zones can handle a smaller or open-layout house. For a bigger home with lots of closed-off rooms, a ducted heat pump or keeping the furnace may be the better plan, and we tell you which at the site visit.
Ready to Heat and Cool the Rooms That Need It
Tell us which rooms are giving you trouble and we will set up a visit to measure and quote. If an existing mini-split has stopped working, we handle that too.